Loretta Williams
"It’s painful to remember, yet, to forget would be so much worse. But that's what we’re supposed to do: bury the past and keep our heads held high… accept this reality in the name of future peace. But if my friends have to die in its name, screw future peace! Why should I -- why should we -- have to suffer for the future? Why can’t they secure goodness and peace for themselves?" ''- '''Loretta Williams, Harwell's Institute for the Fairly Exceptional' Loretta Williams is a superhuman attending Harwell's Institute. (Created by Fix-It) Appearance Loretta is short, standing at 5'1" and clocking in at 114 pounds. She has fair skin, and is a B-cup. Loretta has thick, fluffy, pastel purple hair. She's grown it out to her hips, and has bangs that land above her eyes. Her face is round. Her hair and eyes became purple when she drank an unknown combination of lab chemicals. Her skin also paled substantially as a result of the same action. Biography Pre-RPG Loretta has been surrounded by science her entire life. That’s probably why she hates it. Her parents, two physicists, were always busy with work. Not to mention her brother, a scientific prodigy from the first day of school. She could never be like them. Loretta was sent to a private academy, where she got passing grades and managed to keep up with her classes. But she still couldn’t understand science. This kept her busy with studying and tutoring, leaving little time to make friends. Mind you, this was in junior high. She had no friends and therefore was subject to a few mean jokes and snickers in the hallway. So when given to opportunity to make friendships, she took it. All she had to do was chug a tiny glass full of chemicals found in the lab. Easy enough! Well. Loretta ended up in the emergency room after that spectacle, and for the most part had no friends. But she did have something else. Super speed. First Arc - The Gauntlet Loretta received her acceptance letter to Harwell's Institute briefly after stopping a miner robbery that was happening in her neighborhood. She was convinced by her father to attend the school, and ultimately, found herself at the train station ready to board the train. On the train, Loretta sat with Kendall Nolan, Tristen Madden, and Sophia Hayes. They chatted until the train arrived in front of the Gauntlet building. She was excited to hear about everyone else's superpowers and, for some reason, glad to hear she wasn't the only one with powers. Shortly after, the Gauntlet began. She picked an odd number and was placed on Team Maxwell. Everything started fine. They walked through the dense forest trying to locate the first key. Kendall was the first to find their goal -- a gold key at the bottom of a pond. Wanting to prove herself, Loretta jumped headfirst into the water as soon as she saw it, making sure no one had the chance to stop her from doing so. She nearly grabbed the key before robotic piranhas appeared in the water. Loretta was pulled out of the water by Sophia and Kendall, while Maxwell used his powers to stop the piranhas briefly. She was still able to retrieve the key despite the piranhas biting her, however she suffered injuries and as a result, spent the rest of the Gauntlet exercise being carried by Kendall. She played no role in stopping the dragon or the fire girl. Her injuries were treated by the Harwell's medical team as soon as they got out of the Gauntlet. Later, at the opening banquet, she sat with her friends and enjoyed a plate of macaroni and cheese. She was placed into Delta class. Second Arc - Missions Loretta was placed on Team B for the initial missions. Their objective was to flush out two minor super villains, Penitence and Nightscape, from the streets of Albany. She was roomed with her best friend Sophia Hayes in the hotel. She explained that it was her first time staying in a hotel without her family there with her, making the experience new and even more unforgettable for her. The group left the hotel to find the villains. She was able to stay as positive and energetic as always, and even tried to spread her positivity to her teammates. Her success was debatable. She continued to stay with the majority of the group, even when her two best friends separated to go after Lord Evil. When the battle with Penitence and Nightscape began, she was incapacitated by a 2nd degree burn on her wrist -- a result of getting struck by a fiery chain from Penitence. Loretta could be found crying for a majority of the fight. Fortunately, Sophia was able to give her some burn cream to ease the pain. Meanwhile, Kendall used his superpower on Nightscape and left both villains in a state where they were unable to fight briefly. The team used this time to plan. Loretta was the one who ultimately finished the fight. By the request of her teammates, Loretta was used as bait for Penitence as soon as he came to. She taunted him to throw his chains at her again, but dodged them at the last second, destroying the mysterious crystal that had been looming over them the entire time. The fight ended with both super villains getting sucked into a mysterious white portal. Christmas Vacation Three months have passed, and Loretta has made it through her first semester at Harwell's Institute. She has become a Gamma and, somehow, passed all of her finals. The optional Christmas retreat was nearing and Loretta was struggling to decide whether she should go with all of her friends, or if she should return home to her family over Christmas. She decided to go on the retreat but realized she hadn't packed and the train would arrive soon. She packed her suitcase in a rush and met Summer Matthews in the hallway. They talked briefly and then both went on their way. Loretta met Sophia in the hallway next and they walked to the train station together. Both expressed how excited they were to go on the vacation, but are forced to run to the station as soon as they hear the train has arrived. They also board the train together and try to find Kendall so the trio can sit together. Loretta was going to check every compartment, but was quickly distracted when she saw one of the new students -- Freyja -- down the hall with Dr. Young. She ran down the hall to meet the two, but tripped over the wheels of her suitcase. Sophia was right behind her and fell down on top of Loretta as a result. After both got off the ground, Loretta introduced herself to Freyja and the four of them (Kendall, Freyja, Sophia, and Loretta) sat in the same cabin on the train ride over. Interesting conversation ensued. When the train arrived, Loretta was placed in a room with Sophia, Freyja, and Tristen. She was excited to be with her friends. After unpacking, she went outside the lodge with Sophia to play in the snow. They talked, first, about geography and why it doesn't snow in Sophia's hometown of Florida. Then, out of the blue, Loretta asked Sophia what it felt like to have a crush on someone. She was trying to determine whether her feelings for Kendall were platonic or romantic, but with the assistance of her friend, decided they were romantic. Ultimately, Sophia and Loretta decide to be each others wing-men so both of them could get with the people they liked. Some time later, on the night of Christmas Eve, Loretta went to the dance being hosted at the hotel with her two friends. She danced and had a great time with Sophia and Kendall. A slow song came on and she offered Kendall a slow dance. While they danced and shared sentiments about their friendship, Loretta attempted to use pick up lines on her crush but was ultimately met with confusion and awkwardness. She took Sophia's advice, though, and kissed Kendall as they danced. He declined her advancement because he didn't want to lead her on without knowing his past, but she was not aware of this and ran out of the hotel lobby in shame. Loretta returned to the room she was sharing with Sophia, Freyja, and Tristen. She locked herself in the bathroom and cried it out. Then, she heard Sophia crying outside the bathroom door as well, and left to join her. After convincing her best friend that Kendall's rejection was not her fault, she gave Sophia a Christmas present that she made in advance: a friendship bracelet woven from string that matched one she wore often. Feeling better with herself and her relationships, she and Sophia went back downstairs to the dance to look for Kendall so she could give him a bracelet, too. After some searching, Loretta and Sophia followed Kendall around the side of the hotel outside. When they rounder the corner, though, they were met with the sight of Director Waller being threatened by unknown forces. The director is incapacitated and taken away by one of her attackers named Harbinger, meanwhile Sophia is shot at by another. At the same time, Daikaiju, who was revealed to be fellow student Slade Norman, was wreaking mass chaos and destruction on the resort. Scared, confused, and overwhelmed, Loretta spiraled into an intense panic attack. The gunmen began to spray bullets at Loretta and the others, but were stopped by fellow students. She tried to articulate what was happening to her, but struggled and gave up after a few attempts. It was revealed that Loretta suffers from G.A.D. (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and suffers from bouts of intense panic quite frequently, especially when off her medication. She had forgotten to take her medication before the dance, and the dire situation only drove her further until it was too late. With the help of Kendall and Sophia, Loretta was able to get to temporary safety with Harwell's staff member Professor Beckwith. She is almost pulled from the attack with the directions of Beckwith, however, after hearing the scream of Daikaiju, all progress is lost. Kendall carried Loretta out of the burning resort with Sophia in tow, meanwhile Daikaiju charged at the group. Professor Beckwith offered to use his powers to put a sleeping spell on Loretta; she wasted no time in accepting the offer, despite the risks of being asleep and a lame duck. She went under immediately. Loretta woke up in the back seat of a car. Confused, but obedient, she got out of the car with the help of Kendall and boarded an ISO helicopter. She learnt that Sophia had died while she was asleep. Overcome with grief, she sobbed until here eyes ran dry and the helicopter landed at another hotel, one that was safe and secure from Daikaiju and ASDOM. Loretta, after spending only a brief time by herself, found herself knocking on Kendall's door. Not wanting to be alone, she joined him in his room and quickly tried to divert conversation away from the anxiety attack. She pressed him on his backstory after he tripped up on the wording of one of his replies. And then, as if her night couldn't get any worse, Loretta learnt that her only remaining friend was a criminal. But, she was determined to look past it, no matter how hard it was for both of them. Exhausted, sad, and confused, she pulled him into a hug. They were interrupted when Empathy ordered all of the students into the hotel lobby for an announcement. All of the students, minus Kendall and Loretta, were promoted to or already were Beta students. Disappointed but not surprised, considering her lack of contribution, she tried to feel happy for her fellow classmates and their achievement. She was distracted by another one of Empathy's announcements: all of the students would have to return home for the remainder of Christmas break. Now aware of Kendall's situation and story, she offered him an invite to stay with her family for the rest of break. The idea was given a thumbs-up by Empathy, who also gave Kendall an opportunity to talk with his sister, and so Loretta was left to her own devices in the hotel lobby. She used the time to look back on her memories with Sophia. She wished her deceased friend a Merry Christmas and assured her that her death would not be in vain. Personality Loretta is really, really good at thinking one thing and saying the other. Over the years, she's learnt how to hide her dark thoughts behind a cute, bubbly personality. She's even capable of tricking herself most of the time. But she can only lie for so long, and it becomes clear quick that she isn't all funshine and rainbows once you witness it for yourself. Loretta struggles with a low self-esteem, anxiety, and what can only really be described as a passive desire to die at all times. But other than that, she's great and everyone loves her. - Tropes Abilities * Super Speed: However, when running at super speeds, her stamina and energy drains about 20% faster than the normal person. She can also use this power for combat: for example, super fast kicking. She also has super reaction times while running -- but only while running. This is to prevent her from crashing into a wall and dying on impact, of course. Notable Relationships * Alissa and Jeffery Williams (parents): '''Loretta is very close to both her parents, and spends a lot of time with them. She is also very attached to them, and is very upfront with the two of them. The only secret she'd ever held from either is her superpowers, but only because she didn't know how they'd handle the information. However, both her mother and father found out when she received a letter from Harwell's and they are both supportive of their daughter... but still trying to figure out how she kept it from them for that long. * '''Caleb Williams (brother): Loretta is detached from her brother, and thus they have a strained relationship. She feels like she can't tell him anything and never gets to spend time with him. * Sophia Hayes (BFF, deceased): '''Before she died, 'Sophia is who Loretta considered her best friend forever. They met on the way to Harwell's on the first train and were very close. She's still a little disgusted by her powers, but has become more used to them over time. Their personalities did fit well together, putting it gently, and she spent the most time with Sophia out of anyone else. They shared many interests and she felt like she could truly be herself around her BFFL. Loretta now blames herself for the death of her friend, and is struggling to cope with the loss. * 'Kendall Nolan (Crush/BFF): 'Loretta has a crush on her other best friend, Kendall. At first, she wasn't sure if her feelings were platonic or romantic, but ultimately realized they were romantic and was trying to pursue a relationship with him. Besides all that, they're good friends and Loretta would call him her other best friend. Loretta spends a lot of time with him, too, but not nearly as much as she did with Sophia. After learning of his past, she finds it more difficult to connect with him as she easily as she used to. He's her only friend left, though, so she is willing herself to look past all of the bad and tunnel-vision the good. Strengths * Agreeable: Loretta, although idiotic at times, says only nice things. She's great at making other people happy and getting them motivated. Plus, she's been known to say some pretty wise things, even if they weren't intended to be that way. Overall -- she's a great person to have on the team for her support skills alone. * Combatant: Surprisingly, Loretta is pretty strong in combat. She knows where to punch and kick, plus, she's so fast that most people can't actually hit her back. She is in great shape and works out a lot, typically aiming to improve her endurance and strength. All of these factors combined make her formidable in fights. * Determined: Loretta won't stray away from a challenge, especially if it's a dare or if her friends want her to do something. She wants to continue to improve herself in any way she can. She also ''really wants to be an awesome superhero. She'll do whatever it takes, really. Weaknesses * The Airhead Factor: Loretta isn't smart. It's plain and simple. She's very naïve and makes a lot of stupid choices (see the piranha incident). It's difficult for her to take in or retain information and people may have to repeat things several times before it makes sense to her. Plus, she struggles with seeing the bad in people. She is naturally inclined to think every single person is good, even when it's clear they are past redemption. * Unpredictable: One minute she's crying, the next she's jumping up and down because she remembered puppies exist. This alone is enough to drive lots of people crazy. You have no idea what you're getting when you talk to Loretta, honestly, and it drives a lot of people away from her. * Easily Drained: Her superpower, although totally awesome, has drawbacks that can easily be detrimental to the entire team. She fatigues much faster than the average human and finds herself tired very easily. When she's tired, she becomes unmotivated and just wants to sleep. She is no longer helpful. Trivia * Her birthday is December 22nd. She turned 16 in the roleplay on the first day of the Christmas Vacation arc. * She's bisexual. * Loretta has a playlist that can be found HERE * Kendall and Loretta have a playlist that can be found HERE * Her Hogwarts house is Hufflepuff. * Loretta has very small feet, so she can only really wear kids shoes. However -- she exploits this and wears light up Sketchers with almost every single outfit she owns. * She has two theme songs. The first is Hard Times by Paramore, and the second is The Weight of the World from NieR: Automata. * She has two instrumental theme songs. The first is Lively Lillie! from Pokemon Sun and Moon, and the second is The Lament of Falling Stars from Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. * Loretta was carried over from a previous incarnation of the Harwell's RPG. Category:Characters Category:Heroes Category:HI Students Category:Fix-It